Learning culinary arts through the eyes of a nutritionist

Duck Confit

Duck confit is a food that gets a lot of hype in the gourmet world. People rave about it and fine dining restaurants usually have it in at least one dish on the menu (if not several). It is usually not served as a stand alone dish, but as a smaller component of the dish due to its rich and intense flavor. We prepared duck confit over the course of several days in class, and used it in several dishes today.

What is duck confit? It is duck legs and thighs bone in, skin on (never the duck breast) that have been cooked over very low heat, submerged in duck fat, for a very long time, in a large pot. After the cooking process, which can take as little as four but as many as sixteen hours, the pot of duck and duck fat is cooled and stored in a cool place, like the refrigerator, for as long as two years. During storage, the duck remains covered by the duck fat which preserves it, but also continues to flavor and tenderize the meat.

When the duck confit is to be served, however much needed is removed from the fat, and reheated on the stove-top to render some of the fat and crisp the skin.

Duck confit, just by the nature of how it is made, has a high degree of deliciousness. It is so tender, rich, succulent, and flavorful that it can only be taken in small doses. Duck fat may sound gross, but it looks very much like butter when cold, and tastes slightly smokey and rich like bacon fat. Duck meat served in a restaurant is typically the breast. Chefs had to find something to do with the tough legs, and have they ever! The possibilities are endless.

Salad with duck confit we made in class

Chefs use it as a garnish to top soups, entrees, or appetizers. It can be used in the stuffing for a roast. It can be tossed into a bitter green salad. A blend of the duck confit meat with some duck fat is called duck rillette which is used as a spread oncroutes, bread, crackers, biscuits, etc.

Now unfortunately, I could not find duck confit nutrition facts anywhere. Are they trying to keep it a secret? But I do have the nutrition facts for duck fat, and duck legs.

Nutrition Facts:Duck Fat, 1 Tablespoon

Calories: 112

Total Fat: 12 grams

Saturated Fat: 4 grams

Monounsaturated fat: 6.3 grams

Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.9 grams

Cholesterol: 13 mg

Sodium: 0 mg

Protein: 0 mg

Nutrition Facts:One Duck Leg, skin on, 3 oz

Calories: 184

Protein: 23 grams

Total Fat: 10 grams

Saturated Fat: 3 grams

Monounstaturated Fat: 4.8 grams

Polyunstaurated Fat: 1.6 grams

Cholesterol: 97 mg

The Good: High degree of deliciousness and a little goes a long way. Duck fat and meat is lower in cholesterol and higher in monounsaturated fat than butter, diary fat or beef fat. It can be substituted in cooking with tasty results and a better nutritional profile. Duck fat is a good source of vitamin E. Duck meat is a good source of protein, selenium, and iron.

The Bad: We can deduce from this that duck confit high in calories and high in total fat. It is meant to be consumed only in small amounts at a meal and not on a daily basis.

Recommendations: Enjoy responsibly, but definitely try this someday if you get the chance. It is difficult to make at home unless you have a ready supply of duck fat in your fridge (which we do at cooking school given the deliciousness I have spoken about). If you are on a calorie or fat controlled diet, stay away.